Devils Carry Win Streak to Road | NOTEBOOK

The Devils are practicing at RWJBarnabas Health Hockey House inside Prudential Center on Friday afternoon before embarking on a two-game road trip starting in Pittsburgh.

Stay tuned to the notebook for the latest info, updates, interviews, videos and more from the practice session!

Practice Info

The Devils had their full compliment of healthy players on the ice for practice. Here's how the line rushes shook out...

One noteworthy item is that Erik Haula will be coming out of the lineup Saturday against Pittsburgh to allow for Daniel Sprong to return.

“Haula will be out (Saturday),” Devils coach Sheldon Keefe confirmed. “It’s not an indication or reflective of their play recently. Each situation is different. I think Haula started to go in the right direction here and did a nice job since we put him on the wing.”

The Devils coaching staff has not been shy about tinkering with the lineup, even during their three-game winning streak. Paul Cotter was inserted in the second game while Simon Nemec returned in the third win. Now, it appears Sprong will get an opportunity against the Penguins, the team that drafted him.

“It’s Haula’s turn to sit out and give an opportunity for Sprong to get in. That’s really it,” Keefe said. “As I alluded to, there will be some of that, as there has been, down the stretch here. We have guys that can come in and out of our lineup and not be disruptive for us and keep moving forward and moving ahead. I think that makes our group stronger.”

The Devils have a plethora of depth at the forward position currently with their recent acquisitions. Part of the team moving different pieces around is finding out the best way to utilize that depth.

“We’ve got Glass and Sprong, two new guys that I don’t know exactly how to use them or how they best fit into our group. Wanting to try some different things,” Keefe said. “Just having the extra bodies, all of a sudden you can’t take your spot for granted. There are guys that are there to replace you if you slip or deviate.”

Playoff Mentality

The Devils haven’t locked up a playoff spot yet, although they have built a nice 8-point cushion on Columbus in recent days, which included a win against the Blue Jackets. However, the club is taking the mentality that their playoffs, for all intents and purposes, have already begun.

“At the end of the year, teams fighting for playoff spots, that’s just the way it is. We’ve got to have that mindset,” captain Nico Hischier said. “Collectively we’re playing good hockey right now. We know what it takes. It’s not going to change the rest of the season. Every game is going to be important for us. We just have to play the same way and find that consistency. I think since the 4 Nations break, we got back to our game.”

Keefe and the coaching staff have stressed that the club must adopt a more playoff-style of play right now, before they can even play in the playoffs.

“We’ve been able to narrow their focus and have a singular purpose, which is to play as a team and play connected and recognize the importance of playing good team defense and pulling together,” he said. “That’s what playoff hockey is all about. In order to qualify for the playoffs, that’s what’s going to be required of us the rest of the way.

“Our last few games are an indication of what that looks like in terms of the extra intensity and cohesion amongst the team.”

Walking on Glass

Cody Glass was acquired on the March 7 trade deadline from Pittsburgh. And exactly a week later he finds himself playing against his former team in his former home city.

“It’s pretty crazy. It’s nice to go back,” he said Friday after practice. “I’ll go with an empty suitcase and fill it up when I go home. It’s been a whirlwind. That’s how this business goes. You just have to enjoy as much as you can.”

Glass has three points (1g-2a) in three games with the Devils – all wins – and has been a quick learner on his new squad.

“It’s been a lot of fun. It’s been a change,” he said. “For me, new system, new everything. It’s been kind of crazy. You just have to take it one shift at a time and try not to think too much. Even though it’s hockey and you have to think every time you’re out there. It’s been crazy but everyone has been really good to me, coaching staff, players, they’ve made the transition real easy.”

Glass pointed to Haula as being particularly helping to his adaption to the new environment.

“Everybody has been communicating to me if I do something right, if I do something wrong,” he said. “Haula has done a great job every shift if I have a question, I ask him and he’s got an answer for me. Everybody is super communicative. For a guy coming in, that’s what you need.”

He Said It:

Nico Hischier on trying to shut down the opposition's best players: "I enjoy it. I like the challenges. It’s part of my job. I take pride in that and I’m happy to compete against the best players in the world."

Offensive Manufacturing

With the team’s best offensive threat (Jack Hughes) and best offensive threat on the blue line (Dougie Hamilton), the Devils will need to be more reliant on other ways to produce offense.

“Our offense has to be generated with more of a team concept. It’s everybody contributing to a goal,” Keefe said. “It’s not always going to be just a great individual effort. It may have to be manufactured over the course of a few shifts where things just add up. You get the opposition to break down a little bit.

“As we’ve shown and as we’ve seen, there are ways to generate offense inside of it. Sometimes it’s going to be the power play, sometimes it’s going to be net-front presence and just crashing the net as it was (Thursday against the Oilers). Sometimes, like Columbus, it’ll be breakaways and rushes and different things like that. Different things come your way. It all has to be the top of a foundation of strong, committed defending.”

Lord and Xavier

The Devils announced this morning the signing of forward Xavier Parent to a one-year entry-level contract. Parent is in his third season with the Devils organization, previously working on an AHL-only deal. He's worked his way up from free agent signing to AHL deal to ELC. His hard work and dedication has paid off and you have to feel good for the kid. He plays with passion that is much bigger than his 5-foot-8, 170-pound frame.